Falling
by saragillie
Summary: A B&B twoshot.
1. Chapter 1

Booth and Brennan stood near the top of a deep pit.

"Where are my remains?" she demanded.

"According to the guy who found it, it's down there," Booth said, pointing down into the pit and to his left.

Brennan started forward. Booth followed. As they reached the edge of the pit, he grabbed her arm and said, "Let me go first to see how stable it is."

"Booth! I'm perfectly capable of making it safely down the incline."

As she jerked her arm to free it from his grasp, he tightened his grip. She tried again using greater force and managed to unbalance both of them. They tumbled down the hill together, a single mass of failing appendages with two voices saying things like "oof" and "ouch." It didn't take long for them to reach the bottom.

"Bones, are you okay?" Booth asked, a bit out of breath. Then he noticed their position. Somehow he had ended up lying on top of her. He tensed for a moment, worried about her reaction, and then looked into her eyes. Instead of the anger, frustration, and annoyance he expected, her blue eyes were wide and contained an expression he'd never seen before. His heart rate increased and he enjoyed the feel of having her underneath him and being stretched atop her. She watched as his eyes darkened with desire and a small shiver shook her frame.

The emotions he normally kept locked deep in his heart came rushing to the fore as his body and mind reacted to her proximity, the smell that was uniquely her. He bent his head toward her ear and whispered in a deep voice, "If you keep looking at me like that, I'm not sure I'll be able to resist kissing you."

"What? Booth!" she exclaimed, momentarily shocked. Then she lifted her head a bit and replied in a husky voice, "Not now. We're at a crime scene and we have an audience." She flicked her eyes toward the top of the pit. _Not now? I can't believe I just said that._

Booth turned his head and saw policemen, other FBI agents, and about half of the crime scene technicians watching them. "Wait. Did you just…?" he questioned dazed. Then the rest of what she said sunk in. As he rolled off her, he promised in a whisper, "We'll finish this later."

He stood up, and for the benefit of their audience, offered her a hand and said loudly, "Bones, you alright?"

"I'm fine."

The two slapped the dust from their clothes and then proceeded to the remains, each desperately trying to return to their normal interaction and focus on the case. The crime scene technicians made their way down the slope more slowly and soon joined the partners.

As Brennan started her preliminary examination, Booth took notes like usual. Soon after Brennan finished exposing the skeleton, she was informing the technicians about the particulates and other evidence that needed to be collected and giving instructions for the transport of the remains.

Brennan and her team spent the rest of the day examining the evidence and putting together what happened to their victim. By 7:30 PM, the lab was mostly empty. Cam, Angela, Jack, and Zach had already left, but Brennan stayed to go over the bones another time.

Booth scanned his card and let himself onto the platform. "Bones, everybody else has gone home. It's time to get out of here."

Brennan looked up, intending to glare at him and make him leave her alone for a few more minutes so she could finish her examination of the bones. But the moment her eyes met his, the words died on her lips and memories of earlier in the day rushed back to her.

Booth quirked a smile at her. "Speechless, Bones? I'm flattered."

She gaped at him and then began to protest as he escorted her off the platform and to her office. He handed her her purse, helped her into her jacket, and had her halfway to the door, his hand resting in its usual place on her waist before her intention of completing her examination came to mind.

"Booth, I can't leave yet. I'm not done with my examination of the bones yet," she objected and started to turn back.

He slid his arm all the way around her waist to prevent her from leaving. "You have to eat sometime. You can update me over dinner about what you've found in the last few hours," he replied.

When she hesitated, he smiled his famous charm smile and she gave in. "Fine, but I want to eat Thai."

When they reached the SUV, he held the door for her and she started mumbling about his alpha-male tendencies under her breath. As he climbed into the driver's seat she noticed the vehicle smelled of food.

She took a deep breath and then said, "I love the smell of pad thai. Wait, you brought food with you? Why didn't you just bring it into the lab?"

Booth smiled at her, "It's a surprise."

He pulled out of the parking lot of the Jeffersonian, but instead of heading toward her apartment or his, he headed in another direction entirely.

Brennan tried to contain her desire to know where they were going, but after 15 minutes she couldn't wait any longer, "Where are we going?"

"I told you it's a surprise, Bones. But we're almost there. You'll see in a minute," he answered.

A minute later he turned right into the parking lot of a regional park. When the truck stopped she jumped out and began to look around. The park was large with lots of trees. To the west she could see the sun beginning to set.

"Come on," Booth said, and she turned to see him burdened with bags. She followed him across the park to the top of one the hills. He set the food down carefully and dropped the other bags.

"Booth, what are we doing here?" Brennan demanded.

"Eating dinner, Bones," he replied easily.

"We could eat dinner lots of places besides here…" she started to object.

Booth stepped into her personal space, leaned toward her, and said quietly, "Just go with me on this."

She gave him a small nod. He stepped back with a satisfied smile and began to spread out their dinner on a blanket. In a few minutes they were both happily chowing down on Thai food and Brennan was giving him the most recent details of their case.

When dinner was finished the two sat for a while, enjoying the relative quiet and watching the sun as it sunk beneath the horizon.


	2. Chapter 2

When Booth started stuffing the food containers into a bag, Brennan stretched and said, "Well, that was nice. This was a good idea, eating outside and watching the sunset."

"I do have a good idea every once in a great while," he said.

"Booth," she started, but then looked at him and realized he was joking.

As he shifted closer to sit next her, she noticed a small bag on his opposite side. He saw the direction of her gaze. When she opened her mouth to ask about it, he placed a finger on her lips. "Not now, okay?"

A flash of heat radiated over Brennan, starting where his finger touched her lips and moving deliciously to the tips of her toes. She turned to look at him. His eyes snared hers and she gazed back, mesmerized. They sat locked in a silent stare for a long, agonizing moment.

Then Booth stood up and offered her a hand up. When they were both standing, he asked, "Are you ready?"

"Ready for what?" she asked in confusion.

"Just hang on," he replied. He stepped forward and wrapped her in a hug.

Before she could pull away or object, he pulled her over on top of him and started rolling down the hill. When they came to a stop side by side, he rotated a bit until they were back in the position they had been earlier in the day.

Brennan's eyes widened as she connected the dots and her heart started pounding in her chest.

He bent his head toward her ear and repeated what he had said earlier, "If you keep looking at me like that, I'm not sure I'll be able to resist kissing you." He continued, "There's no crime scene and we don't have an audience."

She took a deep breath. She was certain of her feelings for him, but uncertain about what to do next.

He pulled his head up a bit so he could get a good look at her face. He saw the uncertainty in her expression and began to wonder if this had been a mistake. Then he noticed that her eyes were focused on his lips.

He slowly closed the distance between them, giving her time to move her head. As their lips met in a soft kiss, she closed her eyes.

After a moment, he pulled back from the kiss and moved until he was lying next to her on the grass. He reached out a hand and softly traced the contours of her face with the back of his index finger.

Still tingling from the kiss, her eyes fluttered open and she turned her head to look at him. Her blue eyes probed his dark brown ones for a moment and then she asked, "Why did you stop?"

"I… I…" Booth stuttered for a moment before gathering his wits. He had expected just about any reaction besides this one.

"That was hardly a kiss," she continued.

Since she wasn't objecting and seemed to be asking for more, he pulled her on top of him, hugged her carefully to him, and kissed her more thoroughly. He started gently, softly, trying to show her his love, that his feelings went beyond passion and physical desire. He deepened the kiss, winding his fingers into her hair and massaging her lips more insistently with his. He traced the outline of her lips with his tongue and she snaked hers out to touch his for a moment. The most incredible sensation raced through both of them, a spark of fire that spread to every nerve ending and left them both trembling with desire.

She watched him for a moment, intensely aware of him as he pulled air into his lungs. Then she rolled onto the grass beside him, breathing heavily.

After he got his breath back, Booth lay quietly, enjoying the feeling of being near her, what it felt like to kiss her. He observed their surroundings lazily, trying to burn the moment, all the details, into his memory. It was almost completely dark and he could see the stars. _Wait, it's dark?_

He stood up quickly and pulled Brennan to her feet. Holding her hand, he pulled her toward the top of the hill. Still a little dazed from their kiss, she looked at him questioningly.

"The park closes at dusk. We need to pick up our things and leave. The cops will be here in a few minutes looking for the stragglers," he explained.

When they reached the top of the hill, he grabbed the small bag and tossed the blanket over his arm haphazardly. She collected the bag with their dinner trash and they headed toward his SUV, stopping on the way to dispose of the trash.

As Booth pulled out of the parking lot, a police car pulled in. The ride was silent. Brennan kept sneaking glances at Booth, silently wondering if the past couple of hours had been some kind of a weird dream.

When they pulled into her apartment complex, she started to ask about her car. "Temperance, I'll come get you in the morning," he answered.

She dug in her purse for the keys to her apartment and opened the door a moment later. "You want to come in?" she asked.

He answered by following her in and closing the door behind them. Brennan shed her coat, tossed her keys and purse on the side table, and headed to the refrigerator for drinks.

He wanted to kiss her again, but moved toward the living room instead. He opened the door to the balcony, turned on the small lamp, and turned off the overhead light.

She entered the living room a moment later with two glasses of wine, handed him one and sat next to him on the couch. For a moment they sat sipping their wine, then she put down her glass down on the coffee table.

"We should really talk about this…" she began.

He shushed her. "We can think about what happened tomorrow and we can talk about it after that for as long as you want. But right now, let's just be here, experience this moment completely. Enjoy it. It will never happen again."

He put his glass down, and cuddled her to him, kissing her softly. When she angled her head to deepen the kiss, he pulled back. "I have something for you," he said softly.

She sat back, watching as he reached for the small bag sitting near his feet. He handed her a small photo in frame. It was a picture of the two of them at Wong Foo's, heads tipped toward each other, laughing.

"Turn it over," he said.

A small card was attached to the back of the frame. She leaned toward the lamp to read what it said. _Remember, you're never alone. You're part of my family. Yours forever, Seeley._

She turned back to look at him, tears shimmering in her eyes. He understood her so well and his message went straight to the heart of her deepest fears and needs.

She started to speak, but stopped when she noticed something else in his hand. She put the framed photo on the coffee table and gasped when he put it in her hand. It was a large silver pendant on a thick ropy chain. She examined it closely and saw that it was a Celtic knot design with a large bead in the center.

"This is…" she began, then stopped, at a loss for words.

"Turn it over," he said.

Etched into the back of the pendant were the words "Never Alone" and underneath that "Family" She removed the necklace she was wearing and put the new one on. A small smile graced her lips as she ran her fingers over the pendant.

He offered her the matching bracelet and earrings. This time she didn't have to be told to look at the backs. The earrings were too small to bear any messages, but the inside of the bracelet said "Friends Forever" and "Always Yours." She replaced the rest of her jewelry with the ones he gave her, and then turned to look at him.

He watched her blink back tears. He pulled her close, leaned his forehead against hers, and said, "I promise. No matter what happens between us. You'll always have a place in my family."

She searched his eyes, seeing that he meant every word, and nodded in acceptance. He placed one last soft kiss on her lips, shifted away from her and stood.

"I'd better go now. It's late. What time do you need me to pick you up in the morning?" he asked.

She thought for a minute before answering, "Is 7 too early?"

"That's fine," he replied, as he reached for the door.

"Seeley," she called his name softly.

He turned to find her right there and caught her in his arms as she snaked her arms around him and kissed him.

Regretfully, he broke the kiss and said, "Now, think of everything we need to talk about and work through. We can start at lunch tomorrow and continue at dinner if need be." He pulled the door closed behind him and headed home feeling euphoric that things had gone better than he hoped for.

Meanwhile Brennan prepared for bed slowly, still caught in the emotional whirlwind of the evening. When she removed her jewelry, she read the message on the backs again. She went to bed without brushing her teeth, trying to keep the flavor of him for a little longer. She fell asleep pondering which outfit would go best with her new necklace and how she would explain it to Angela in a way that wouldn't arouse suspicion.


End file.
